Okaloosa County man indicted for locally producing child pornography

Jack D. Messerschmidt, 36, of Laurel Hill, Florida, was arraigned today in the U.S. District Court in Pensacola after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging him with the production and possession of child pornography. The indictment was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

The indictment alleges that, between December 2015 and January 2016, Messerschmidt persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. The indictment further alleges that, in September 2016, Messerschmidt possessed child pornography. The trial is scheduled for November 21, 2016, at 8:00 a.m.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office, the Mount Dora Police Department, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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